Sunday, February 26, 2012

Virtual Book Tour: Witch Woman by Jeanette Baker

Description:

In two different centuries, four hundred years apart, the lives of Abigail March and her daughter, Maggie, play out along parallel lines, both women blessed and cursed by a selective birthright and marked with a startling mutation, heterochromia iridium, one brown eye, the other blue.

In 1692 Abigail and three-year-old Maggie, are accused of witchcraft. Most women who found themselves facing the hangman’s noose during this shameful time are innocent. Abigail is not. Summoning her powers, she sends her child through a time portal into twentieth century Salem.

Maggie grows to maturity knowing nothing of her birthright until her foster mother’s death bed confession. Using her clairvoyant abilities and the medium of an ancient spinning wheel, she resurrects her past through a series of troubling dreams. Meanwhile Abigail locates the time portal and slips through, changing her identity, hoping to find her child and bring her home through the narrowing portal.

Unknown to both women are the dangers of the old world’s dark forces, a swiftly narrowing time portal, and a missing child who desperately needs Maggie’s “sight” a sight that continues to blur as her ties to old Salem strengthen.

Maggie just one day appeared in the oldest grave yard in Salem. Annie McBride takes on the mantle of taking
care of her, knowing that there is something special about Maggie. Unfortunately, Maggie doesn’t learn what that
is until a deathbed confession sends her back to the town where she was
found. Struggling through the past of
400 years ago, she realizes that it is affecting her present in more ways than
one. Will she be able to solve the
mysteries of the past in time to save her future and the future of a little
girl?

This book was good, but it was confusing. And let me explain why. First of all, the first several chapters were
very slow, and a bit confusing. Annie is
an interesting character that seems very predictable. When she suddenly has a dream and packs her
and Maggie up, it makes no sense to me.
There is no back story to explain why she is suddenly packing up and
leaving.

Then there is the issue with the time line. The times kept flipping back and forth from
the 17th century to 21st century, and if you weren’t
paying attention, it got confusing. Also
another issue with this is the chapters/sections written in the 17th
century didn’t go in a true timeline. It
was all out of whack, which also made it hard to keep track with what had
happen or what was going to happen. In
the wonderful words of the Doctor, it was all “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, big
ball of stuff”.

I did find the characters enjoyable, especially Maggie. Though, Maggie’s catch phrase of “I don’t
understand” did get irritating as she kept repeating it, even what was
explained seemed pretty straightforward.
Scott was the wonderful realist in the midst of a supernatural story. Think of him as the cornerstone that kept all
the fantastical firmly rooted to the ground.
And his skepticism was welcomed, since it is possible that we would also
find it hard to understand such ideas as time travel and magic.

Overall, it was a good book, and interesting read. But it could have been a bit easier to read
if there had been some semblance of a flow.
I do recommend this book.